Frozen Path
by xIreth Calaelenx
Summary: Snow is beautiful. But everything beautiful can also become deadly. Ice becomes a prison, and people are trapped. This time innocent people will suffer. Or maybe... Not so innocent.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hey guys, this is my first ever fan fiction so I was really nervous about even putting this up. I have a little bit after this already written up for the next chapter but I want to know what you guys think before I upload it too. Well, I have a little obsession with angst so this story should be full of it. I also have an obsession with fluff too though… So I suppose it will be full with angsty fluff haha. Just so you know I actually adore these boys (even though I don't really act like it). Enjoy and please review! Oh and this is not slash. Just thought I should put that out there. I have no issue with slash, I just don't write it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

The day that it happened was not an unnatural day. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why it was so scarring. This was Minnesota. Blizzards in Minnesota were no unusual feat. The weather had always been bad, especially in winter. That particular morning the sky was so clear it almost looked like snow, and the wind was so harsh that it made the passers-by draw their coats closer to their shivering bodies. The wind blew with a sort of vigour that was vicious, though not unheard of. A light drifting of snow had already begun falling in the early hours, but it was soft and delicate, simply floating off to wherever the harsh wind carried it.

The rising sun was a small pinprick of light, glowing through the foggy clouds, concealed by the fog. It flickered pathetically, overwhelmed by the thick white clouds. The white looked like a sort of diamond, it was beautiful but strong. Not even the strength of the sun could break through its veil. The snow was falling on the pavement, like stars on the dark, night sky. They landed on the pavement and melted on impact.

Perhaps the whole situation was ironic because there were children peering intently out of their windows, praying for the snow to hurry up. They watched the falling snow flakes and wished that they would get larger and that they would fall faster. They hoped that the dark pavement would get covered in a thick blanket, so that they could complain that they couldn't walk to school that day. They hoped that it would be so dangerous that their parent's cars wouldn't be able to travel. They hoped that the snow would get so violent that the school would call the day off on account of a snowstorm. It was only a few days before the Christmas break anyway… What was a few more days off?

They couldn't have known that at the same time as they were sitting in their comfortable couches in houses that were warmed by central heating, there were homeless men and women sat by the side of the road, just hoping the exact opposite. The wind was acting particularly cruel to them, attacking them relentlessly and mercilessly with a touch as sharp as knives and a deafening roar. They could see the side of this weather that wasn't quite as friendly as the side that the young children could see, wrapped up in layers of coats, jackets, scarfs, hats, gloves and boots. So much clothing must have obscured their vision somehow because the homeless people on the street, half frozen and bitter couldn't see how anyone could see such weather as anything but destructive. Before anyone else, they wanted the snow and wind to end…

They didn't get their wish.

After a while the children realised that they would have to go to school. The snow hadn't sped up, and it was not dangerous to any of them. At least it wasn't dangerous to them yet… They walked dragging their feet, their heads down so that they were looking directly at the pavement to express their displeasure. Kendall Knight, Logan Mitchell, James Diamond and Carlos Garcia were no exception to this. They had all been looking forward to a snow day, just messing around in the wonderland. To them it would have been like Christmas come early. They had always loved snow. It made it easy for them to play ice hockey and they had always loved having the occasional snow fight, no matter how young it made them feel.

Logan always remembered the day that he and the boys were playing in the snow outside of Carlos' house. The boys were ten years old and consequently were not allowed very far from the house that Carlos' mum and dad lived. They'd been told that they were allowed three hours playing in the snow maximum, but if they were to get cold before that they were to come inside anyway to get warm. None of the boys felt cold very easily due to the fact that winter in Minnesota had always been freezing. Normally they would have been allowed much longer but Carlos' mum reminded them that the weather outside was colder than they had experienced before. That year was one of the worst years that the boys had experienced, not because of the speed of the snow or because of the height that it reached up to. It was barely at the stumbling ten year old's knees, and the snow fell in pretty criss-cross patterns across the street. The reason why the weather was so deadly that year was because of the bitter cold.

At first the boys had been hesitant. Even to their young bodies and minds the cold seemed a little bit too much. They shivered in their thick coats. At first they had been reluctant to wear them, but now they hugged them closer to their bodies for protection from the icy touch of Jack Frost that hovered in the air all around them. Arguably the most sensitive of the boys, Logan, even moves slightly closer to his friends, a little bit intimidated. There was a second of silence, with only the steady fall of the snow and the boys breathing, causing small clouds of fog to rise up into the air. However, that silence was broken when Carlos picked up a small pile of snow, rolled it in his orange gloves until he created a snowball and threw it at Logan before a huge smile appeared on his face and he ran away from the other boy. At first Logan squealed and flinched but then he too joined in the laughter, chasing his best friends with arms full of snow. Suddenly, all of the boys were giggling while pelting each other with snow, tripping over their own feet and dangling scarf's, but they couldn't care less.

Needless to say, the boys played out in the snow for the full three hours, and Mr and Mrs Garcia allowed them ten minutes extra on top of that for good measure. The boys grew up in the snow, but it was back then that they discovered their true love for the cold that so many others despised. Kendall even dreamed of making a career out of his love for the cold in ice hockey. The other boys never hoped for the same career. Logan wanted to be a doctor, James wanted to be famous and Carlos wanted to be a police officer just like his father. However, for all of them ice hockey was a hobby that they were particularly fond of. It was something they could all do together. It sounded cliché but sometimes they couldn't help but think that the snow was what bound their friendship. They didn't think anything could ever ruin their love for the snow…

They were wrong.

"You guys want to miss third period and hang around outside the school?" Kendall asked absent mindedly. The boys weren't the type of teenagers that loved misbehaving, but something about having to go to school in the snow, no matter how light, set their nerves on edge.

"Nah can't, we have a history test third, don't we Carlos?" Logan said, turning to face the slightly smaller Latino boy. Carlos simply grumbled under his breath, his face taking a unusually solemn expression despite his almost always hyper exterior.

"Please don't remind me…"

"You've studied for it haven't you?" Logan asked worriedly, peering at Carlos. Carlos simply shrugged.

"It wasn't really going to make much of a difference to my score even if I did, would it Logie?"

Logan was about to protest fiercely to his friends already defeated spirit, but before he could James lightly punched at Carlos' signature helmet, and flashed him a grin.

"There's not really much room for anything up there, under that helmet is there little Carlitos?"

Carlos pouted in mock hurt, "Meanie!"

Logan rolled his eyes, "Because you'd do so much better wouldn't you James?"

Carlos snickered under his breath but James didn't look fazed.

"There are two reasons why that doesn't offend me. One because me and Kendall are in a different class to you, therefore we don't have a test today." James flung one arm over Kendall's shoulder, causing Kendall to chuckle.

"And two because, at least I don't spend my entire life buried in my text books like you! I couldn't cope with doing all of the studying you do! Because I don't always study, I have time to do more important things and have more fun. "

"What? Important things like combing your hair and spending a year in each clothing store we visit, trying to find a top to go with those shoes." Kendall smirked. James gasped and removed his arm from around Kendall's shoulder.

"Traitor! At least I don't spend all of that time plucking my eyebrows! Oh, wait."

Kendall's eyes widened and he lowered his beanie hat so that it covered his 'caterpillar' eyebrows more. Carlos sniggered into his hands, the first one to break the silence of tension that had settled. James was the second to break, giggling so hard that he shook. Logan soon joined in with his friends and Kendall cracked soon after. None of the boys took what each other said to heart. If it came from anyone else to boys would have been incredibly annoyed, but from each other it was nothing more than a harmless joke. Anyone looking in would never have guessed that really James and Carlos were very self-conscious of their low grades, Logan was nervous about being recognised as nothing more than just a boring stick in the mud, and Kendall would sometimes debate trying to pluck his eyebrows.

So, the boys headed to school with spirits that were slightly lightened by their playful banter. The wind and snow continued across Minnesota, slowly picking up speed and the snow grew in size. At first it began slowly, then quicker and quicker and quicker. By the time that the boys were at school the snow was thick across the pavement and the sky was still continuing to let down its icy tears. But none of the boys could have predicted the events that would take place towards the end of the day, nor could the weathermen on the news or the innocent passer by heading home. Not even the homeless man sat on the street reading a newspaper, and occasionally glaring hatefully towards the worlds frosted heavens could have guessed.

No.

Nothing could have been done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Thank you 1234irrek for the lovely review. To answer your question about Kendall angst, there will be a lot. I am a sucker for angst with all of the boys but especially James and Kendall angst. So you can expect a lot of that! Ok next chapter… Hope you guys like this. Enjoy and please review. Oh and the Jennifer in my story is no reference to the three Jennifer's in Big Time Rush. The fact that she is called Jennifer is just a coincidence. **

**Warning: Swearing (curse you Erik) and very mild gore in this one. **

"So to conclude what we have learned, we can establish that Walter Cronkite's clearly negative view to the war in Vietnam, and his words that generated a stir of embarrassment and concern within the American public were a very important factor towards America losing the war in Vietnam. He was a very influential man in America and therefore the people relied very greatly on his words, but instead of receiving the faith in the war they wanted to feel they received more questions and a belief that America was actually failing in the war. Not only this but President Johnson actually claimed that after Walter Cronkite said what he did that was the point that America…"

Miss Callie's words were cut off by a loud bang next to the classroom, that made the walls seem to vibrate from the force of the noise. Many of the students jumped. They hadn't really been focusing on the history lesson anyway, but the noise around them made them start.

"Sorry guys, that must have come from the music department again, I need to remember to tell them to keep it a bit quieter in future. Next door is in the middle of an exam so they probably don't want to be disturbed like this. Anyway can we all turn to page 45 in your history textbooks to complete the questions on…? "

"Miss!" Erik Marsh shouted out, putting his hand up in the air. Erik was one of the signature jocks that you got in any high school. Of course Logan, Carlos, James and Kendall could also be looked at as jocks because of how much effort they put into ice hockey. However, despite them offering Kendall a place in their 'clique' he refused, mainly because the offer did not include his friends. To the jerks of the football team Logan was too smart to join them, Carlos was too small and weedy and James acted too much like a girl with his carefully styled hair to be taken seriously. Kendall seriously disagreed with all of the above reasons and told the jocks as politely as he possibly could to get lost and leave them alone. Consequently, none of the boys had had a particularly easy time with the jocks since that day.

"What Erik?" Miss Callie replied annoyance at being interrupted showing in her tone.

"Can we go home now? It's like a fucking igloo in here!" A couple of people flinched at his choice of wording, but they had to agree. Even Kendall and James, who were sat close to the back of the room, had their jackets pulled tightly around their bodies, and they were shivering lightly. The temperature in the school building had been dropping at an alarming rate during the school day, but now it was so cold that the air around them seemed to hang around them like thousands of frosted crystals piercing at their skin through their clothes. Everyone looked towards Miss Callie with pleading eyes, but quickly looked away when they saw the fact she was seething.

Miss Callie was a young and seemingly laid back teacher. She had light blond hair that was shoulder length, with dark brown eyes. Despite being only thirty three she had two sons, one ten and one fourteen and so heard bad language a lot in her house, consequently foul language coming from young people really annoyed her. Not only that but due to her slim frame and the fact that she was rather pretty she often overheard the students making foul and dirty remarks about her. She had lost count how many times she'd had to go to the head teacher about the things that they had said. The worst thing that had happened was when during spring break the year before. The students had found a porno with a girl who looked a lot like her. Rumours were then spread about her being a porn star. Thankfully they had come up as fake. If that hadn't happened Miss Callie could have lost her job. She was a single mother since her boyfriend had left her for a younger bikini model and her job was the only way that she was able to support herself and her sons. Losing her job just because of some unruly teenagers really wasn't on her to do list…

"Erik, I would remind you not to use that language in the classroom," Miss Callie said, gritting her teeth tightly, to refrain from shouting. "And to answer your question the school day is almost over. In a few minutes the bell should ring and then we can all go home."

Collectively, everyone in the room let out a sigh and turned to the correct page in their textbooks. In a few moments there was the sound of scribbling from almost everyone in the room. One person who remained still was Erik Marsh in protest, but after a dark glance from Miss Callie he too joined in. The other person was Jennifer Class, who simply sat in the centre of the room by her desk. She was surrounded by people from a history class that she had been in for almost six months but she didn't raise her head once to look at any of them. From her position in the centre of the room she should have been the centre of attention, but really she just blended into the background. Her long dark brown hair fell in front of her face, hiding her green eyes. It was like she was making a makeshift mask for herself to hide her emotions from the outside world. She lightly scribbled a line of ink onto her paper with her pen, but didn't try with the work.

After a few minutes Miss Callie listened for the bell, but was surprised to hear only silence. By the time that it was five minutes after the time that the students should go home, the students began groaning and letting their pens drop to the paper.

"Well this is just great…" James said to Kendall. He didn't even bother to keep his voice low because he knew that he wouldn't be heard over the complaints of the other students around him. "I'm freezing and I want to go home now. This is ridiculous."

"A bit of an overreaction… It's only five minutes," Kendall argued but inside he was fuming. Keeping them in all day when there was a snowstorm in itself was ridiculous, but now they were being made to wait even longer.

"Perhaps the bell isn't working…" Kendall said to James. After two second of looking at her watch uncomfortably Miss Callie agreed with his judgement.

"Right class as its past the end of the day you can all go home but…" Miss Callie was yet again put off by a chorus of cheers from the students who quickly got up from their seats and picked up their bags.

"Wait! Wait!" Miss Callie cried and the students reluctantly sat back down, some still with their bags on their backs. "I want to have a look at your books first to check you've done the work that I asked you too."

Slowly the students opened their books, already cringing slightly when they thought of what their teacher was going to say when they saw their messily written out four lines of work. Miss Callie went around the classroom infuriatingly slowly, glancing at every book. She rewarded a few smiles at the students who had done a reasonable amount of work. She ever gave Alice Greenwood a rare 'well done' when she saw her full page of work. Alice beamed with pride, a few of the lads at the back mock vomited. Miss Callie however rewarded a few shakes of the head when she saw some other peoples work. She shook her head at James' work, Kendall's got an almost unnoticeable roll of the eyes and Erik's made her bit her lip. However, by the time that she looked at Jennifer's empty page her nerves were already on the edge and her anger sky rocketed.

"Right that's it. You don't come to my lesson, waste my time and do no work. Everyone else can go home but you young lady are going to stay behind with me and finish that page!" Her face red, Miss Callie walked back to the front of the room, ignorant to the look of rage in Jennifer's' usually expressionless emerald eyes. Jennifer's hands twitched and her jaw clenched. She wasn't the only one who did barley any work… But she was the only one who got punished. All that Jennifer could think about was the fact that it wasn't fair.

It probably wasn't.

"Miss, chill a bit." Erik said from his seat. It was the wrong thing to say.

"Right then…" Miss Callie said, walking over to Erik's desk taking his work, and ripping out the piece of paper he had just been writing on. "You are going to come back here when we're back in school and you are going to work through that piece of work again. Clearly you have no energy towards your education when you're with your mates so maybe you will alone. You guys doing your work is not going to benefit me guys! You seem to think I do this for my own benefit, but I don't. This is all for your education!"

A bit uncomfortably the other students rose to their feet and began to leave the classroom. Kendall shot a glance at James and James shrugged slightly. Neither of them had ever seen a teacher appear so stressed before. Perhaps it was because of the cold. Either way, they couldn't wait to leave.

Erik angrily gathered up his books and papers, stuffed them into his bag and stormed towards the door of the classroom. Jennifer too gathered her bag, despite Miss Callie's warning.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home," was Jennifer's short reply.

Miss Callie sighed in defeat, and quickly noted down Jennifer and Erik's names on a detention slip.

The sky above the school let out a deep groan…. The old and rickety roof of the school echoed the sky's agony, creaking in protest at the extra weight of the snow. If the teenagers had opened the curtain of the room they wouldn't have been able to make out what they were seeing. Everything in the world outside from the students was a pure white. The snowflakes had piled on top of each other, feeding off each other's lack of heat and growing in size every second. The flicker of light that could previously be seen from the sun had now been extinguished by the growing fog of fast falling daggers of light. The wind ripped at the old walls of the school, tearing at its foundations and the building. Minnesota had experienced many blizzards. But no blizzard had ever been as aggressive as this one…

Like the strong wind promised to make any passer by stumble, trying to get out of the cold, the blizzard also made a promise to the building. It promised it that it would leave a mark on its old surface. It promised to leave a scar on the building. It promised to bring a tragedy… The snow couldn't think. It had no mind capable of making decisions. But with the cleaning staff, the head, two teachers and only two classes left in the school, one just having finished an exam and the other just about to leave, the blizzard must have sensed its opportunity that day.

There was no better time for it to strike.

Both Jennifer and Erik brushed past Miss Callie as they made their way to the open door.

No one could have seen what happened. It was too fast. But the thing they did hear was Miss Callie scream. They turned sharply to the source of the noise, at the same time as the wind roared even louder. Miss Callie removed her hand from her bare arm and it come away sticky. Crimson blood was running down her pale arm steadily. The wound was a thin slit close to her shoulder. The blood that flowed from it was thick, despite the small incision and there was plenty of it. A few girls screamed and ran to Miss Callie, intending to help. But in soing so they were running away from the exit. A few of the boys looked on in horror and shock, but none of them left through the open door.

They'd lost the opportunity to leave...

The old roof seemed to taunt then for a few seconds, grunting painfully.

The wind outside seemed to still to a quiet whisper.

The only distinctive noise in the crowded corridor was Miss Callie's pain filled hisses.

Then the roof collapsed.

**Ok I needed a boring chapter to be in here to kind of get to the tragedy. This was sort of it. It explains a few of the important OC's I have in this too. I know there was not a lot of angst concerning the boys in this chapter, but believe me its coming. There will be much more interaction in the next chapter! Oh and if anyone thinks that the teachers reaction was a bit unrealistic, I actually based that on what one of my teachers has said and done in the past. Again please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys :) I actually can't believe the positive response I'm getting for this story! Thank you so much. Okay, just to let you know, this updating everyday probably won't go on forever :( I have a week in Scotland where I have no access to a computer coming up on the 15****th**** of this month and I have my prom coming up on the 10****th****. So, at some point I'm going to have to take a break from writing this. But anyway hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! **

**Warning: Swearing and some substantial gore (including graphic injury detail). Oh and tons of Kendall angst! **

A few years ago, when the boys were only around twelve years old, they were playing with Kendall's little sister in the living room. Katie Knight was very energetic for a four year old and so was very hard to keep control of. She had to be kept interested to stop her running around the house and hurting herself. As Kendall's mum had gone out and left the boys in charge of Katie, they were suddenly feeling very grown up. To keep Katie entertained they had found her favourite doll for her to play with. Katie quickly picked up a few pillows from the floor around her, and began to make a house out of pillows for her doll. For about twenty minutes she was quietly playing with her dolls and the boys, thinking that she would be fine, left the room to get drinks.

When, all of a sudden, the four boys heard Katie squeal and burst out crying from the living room, their hearts started beating wildly. If she'd hurt herself Mrs Knight would never forgive them. Kendall was the first to run to his sister's side, but what he saw surprised him. Katie was still sat on the floor, completely unhurt, but pointing at a pile of pillows on the floor.

"D-Dolly…" She was crying, tears running down her cheeks.

Kendall, realising what had happened, smiled slightly in relief and lifted the pillows away from where Katie's doll was buried underneath. Lifting Katie's doll from the mess, he shook the doll in his hand slightly as if she was dancing.

"See Katie, dolly's all right. You can stop crying now." But Katie didn't stop crying, she still seemed really upset. Logan seemed to be hit by an idea.

"Hey Katie, look Dolly isn't hurt. These pillows are really soft… See," Logan then hit himself in the face with one of the pillows lightly, and grinned to show that it hadn't hurt.

Katie let out a couple of sniffles but wiped away some of the tears from her face. "Dolly isn't hurt?" She asked hesitantly.

All four boys let out a sigh of relief and shook their heads. "Yay!" Katie cried, smiling happily.

Despite her relief she never touched the pillows in her game again.

xxx

At first Kendall wasn't sure where that memory came from. Maybe it was the fact that whatever was presently piled up on his leg was certainly not soft and so definitely not pillows. Kendall let out a soft moan as he tried to shift his body. A sharp shooting pain spread from his leg and up his body, like he was being pricked by a thousand needles at the same time. He opened his eyes slowly, but quickly blinked them shut again when the dust began to fall into his eyes.

"James…" Kendall whispered, at first in despair. And then it was as if something clicked.

"James!" Kendall choked out, reaching his arms around his body blindly. He couldn't feel anything apart from the smooth floor beneath his hands and the occasional sharp edge of some of the ceiling. Kendall's heart was beating so fast and so wildly that he could almost hear it. James had been right next to him. Where was James now? Concern for his friend's well being overwhelmed Kendall's senses and he snapped his eyes open again. Luckily for him most of the dust now seemed to have settled and now only light sprinkles of it hovered in the air, like golden glitter. Kendall could see above him, through the darkness, the portion of the ceiling that had fallen through. He couldn't see the sky. The outside was completely blocked from view.

They were trapped.

Wooden beams lay in heaps around him, some as large as a fully grown human. One of the beams, luckily one of the smaller ones, was lying across Kendall's leg. It didn't feel too heavy but some of the splinters from the wood were facing downwards and digging into Kendall's skin. He couldn't see any blood, but that was probably because of the amount of debris that covered the wound. Kendall had learned enough from Logan to realise that if he didn't get his leg away from the wood quickly it was certain to get infected.

Logan? Carlos? Where were they? Had they gone home?

No. They were still doing that stupid exam!

"Logan! Carlos! James!" Kendall screamed, or rather tried to. His voice felt clogged by something thick that he couldn't scream through. It came out like a choked off whimper and Kendall was immediately surprised by the weakness in his own voice. He turned his head slightly to look around himself, ignoring the slight twinge of pain that he felt in his neck.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

All around him was chaos. There was small portions of the ceiling everywhere he looked down the corridor, so that he could barely see the floor. Dust and snow lay across the ground, concealing most of it from view. Kendall suddenly felt incredibly lucky that the area of ground he was lying on was not covered in snow. Suddenly, a small whimper from next to him caught his attention. Turing to his left Kendall expected to see one of his friends lay next to him bleeding, but instead he saw the face of a girl that he barely recognised.

The girl was lying on her front, her blond hair spread around her like a halo, but the top was coated in a small layer of blood. When he looked at her pale, almost porcelain white face he saw a very distinctive cut running from her temple to her hairline. He tried to force himself not to panic at seeing the blood, and he reminded himself something that Logan had said when Carlos had ended up in hospital because he fell over and cracked his head while playing ice hockey.

"Don't worry head wounds always bleed a lot."

He hoped that this was true, but something about the girl's almost translucent skin scared him. Her sky, blue eyes were wide and filled with pain. Her entire body from below her shoulder blades was completely buried under rubble. Kendall tried to judge how heavy the rubble pinning her body to the ground was, but from where he was lying he couldn't quite see well enough to judge it.

"Hey," he said softly trying to reassure her. "Are you okay?" It struck him how dumb the question was in the situation, but it just slipped out. She looked at him almost confused for a couple of seconds, before a thought seemed to strike her through the haze of pain in her mind.

"Kendall? Kendall Knight?" She asked her voice so weak Kendall had to strain to hear it. "Yeah… We're in history together aren't we?" When she nodded, Kendall sighed. He felt awful having to ask her name, especially after she already knew his. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"It's Lizzie… Lizzie Brooks…" She said softly, her voice shaking madly. Her eyes seemed to be slipping closed and Kendall began to panic.

"Hey… That's short for Elizabeth right?" He asked. If it was possible he saw her eyes darken slightly into something close to anger or frustration, but that was quickly clouded over by pain. "No I hate being called that." She said frowning.

Kendall chuckled slightly, despite the situation. "Okay then Lizzie…" However, he choked off as a wave of pain, bust through the muscles in his leg. He gritted his teeth tightly and let out a hiss. He tried to conceal his facial expression from her vision by covering his mouth, but Lizzie saw through his façade. His agony couldn't be hidden that well.

"Are- Are you okay?" Lizzie asked her eyes even wider in alarm. "Your leg, is it broken?" Kendall saw no reason to lie to her.

"Probably… But it's okay." He added when he saw her horrified expression. "It doesn't hurt that much." Sometimes Kendall had to assume it was better to lie. White lies in this situation were hopefully acceptable.

Suddenly it was as if Lizzie's eyes appeared brighter and slightly more open. The cloud of pain had lifted from her eyes that now seemed a much brighter blue, almost as bright as the snow piled high on top of the rubble pinning her to the ground. Her gaze grew a bit unfocused and she reached out, desperately groping around for something to hold on to. Her breath rasped through her lungs, catching in her chest and she coughed heavily in the way you'd expect of an asthmatic. Kendall suddenly feared that he knew exactly how heavy the ceiling piled on top of her slim frame was… He felt like crying so badly, but he had to stay strong for her sake.

Kendall immediately reached out so that her hand could grip his tightly. She grasped his hand so tight that her long nails dug into his hand and he had to bite his lip. He didn't do that because it hurt though. He bit it in frustration because of how helpless he felt in this situation. Blood had always made him feel queasy. Anything medical was Logan's speciality. His friends were out there somewhere possibly injured, he was fairly sure his leg was broken and he was lying on the cold ground trying to reassure a girl that, if he was honest, looked only moments from deaths door. But he'd never say that out loud. No, that wasn't going to happen! Not on his watch.

"Kendall…" She looked up at him confused, her eyes filling with tears from behind long black eyelashes. "Why doesn't it hurt any more?"

Kendall bit his lip so hard that he was worried it was going to bleed. He tried to force his leg out again but only succeeded in making it ache even more.

"Shit…" he cursed, slamming his other fist against the floor.

"Kendall?" Lizzie questioned fearfully, a few tears falling over her cheeks. "Am- Am I going to die?"

"No!" Kendall protested fiercely. "That won't happen… I promise it won't." When he thought back he could remember Lizzie even more. She was a quiet girl. She'd done her work in class and just gone home. She was a cheerleader but wasn't stuck up. She didn't hang around with the cheerleaders, or flirt with the jocks to increase her status as most girls did. She just… smiled. Now that he thought back all that he could remember was her smiling in the corner of the room, walking away from the classroom with a skip in her step like nothing in the world could affect her. A horrific dread settled over Kendall's rapidly beating heat that all that was going to soon come to an end.

She looked at him dubiously, but appeared much too tired to even attempt to fight back. "Oh… okay."

"Kenny?" her voice slurred slightly. If anyone else had called him that in any other situation Kendall would have frowned. It was a name that only his best friends, his mother and his little sister had ever really called him. But Lizzie was different. Lizzie was sick. Lizzie could do whatever she wanted if it helped keep her pulse beating. He could feel it where he was holding her hand. It beat in her wrist like a drumbeat, frantic and loud. For the moment, it drowned out how loud Kendall's heart was beating in fear. Fear for the sweet girl that he'd only just spoken to. "Yeah?"

"Can I sleep now? Please?" She begged. Kendall felt as if his chest had just jumped to his throat. Panic hit him like a wave and he shook her arm slightly to keep her awake. "No, don't just keep on talking to me instead." Kendall begged.

The dust above the two prone bodies now settled on the ground around them, the glitter spreading over their bodies like tiny droplets of light. It attempted to hide the mayhem and the mess below, but was barely successful. What Kendall couldn't see was the blood slowly seeping out from beneath the rocks holding Lizzie down, like a bright red snake slowly crawling across the ground, pushing away the dust and staining the clear white snow. He couldn't see the chunk of wood sticking through her stomach, impaling her thin frame. He couldn't see that there was no way that Lizzie Brooks could be saved.

He couldn't see the spirit of death hovering above her prone body. No one could have.

"You know…" Lizzie began, watching the dust settle, coughing again but not even flinching when a small trickle of blood ran down her chin. "Before my mum died… She looked at me and my little brother. We asked her if she was going to die. She said no… She said it to comfort us. She died that night… I- I think she knew she was going to die. I think she felt something that told her that she was ready to go. I think that's what I'm feeling now."

"Kendall?" She asked softly, turning to face the boy next to her who was currently eyeing her carefully, his chest tightening painfully as if he was going to start crying at any moment. "Did you say I wasn't going to die just to comfort me?"

Kendall lowered his head to the ground, unsure how to reply. His silence however was enough of a reply for her.

"I see…" she whispered, her breath leaving her trembling body slowly. "You're a kind person Kendall Knight… I only- I only wish I could have met you… sooner…" Her voice trailed away into the darkness, like a breath travelling in the air. Her hand went limp in Kendall's and she exhaled one more time.

But she never inhaled again.

Kendall knew that it was probably in his imagination but he even felt the air around him shift slightly as death took off into the sky, having claimed his latest victim, carrying her soul up to heaven or wherever kind people go after they die. Just another person who died far too many years before their time. Despite her only being dead for a few seconds, her hand seemed to cool in Kendall's grip but he couldn't find the will power to let go of it. Kendall began to sob and tears rolled down his cheeks. Reality that Lizzie was dead had only just hit him… He'd just said goodbye to someone who he had only just met. How quickly everything had changed from a history lesson to... Death and sadness.

He pulled her wrist lightly, but even that made her elbow straighten like she was nothing more than a puppet on strings. Like she was a broken doll… Kendall whimpered slightly, pulling her hand to meet his face. He lightly pressed the hand to his lips in farewell and let her wrist fall to the floor.

"Sorry…" he whispered. Somewhere above him he heard the sky grumble slightly from beyond the layers of ceiling. It was as if the sky was sharing in his grief. She was dead, the collapse must have been terrible to do so much damage. If it was so bad, how could his friends have survived? He could try to cling onto the hope that the roof had stayed intact in the other classroom, but James was right next to him. How could James possibly have survived?

"Kendall!" A voice cried out from close by, echoing down the corridor. Hope leapt into his chest as he recognised that voice. That voice was the voice that he'd been hoping to hear since he'd woken up. That voice still being so strong and so healthy mean that James was alive! Kendall was suddenly aware of a body next to him, and a hand softly brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Kendall, thank God I found you… Oh shit, Kendall your leg! Here I'll help you." James said his voice rushed as he stumbles over his words.

"James…" Kendall whispered his voice still thick with tears, but relief in his tone.

"Yeah buddy I'm right here." James murmured, his hazel eyes shining. He turned his head. That was when he saw Lizzie.

"Oh god, is that? Kendall, is that Elizabeth?" James sounded shocked and terrified at the same time. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her shining blue eyes, glittering and sparkling, but empty and cold. It was the first time James had ever seen a dead body. Kendall couldn't help but feel a small hint of annoyance that even James knew who Lizzie was and he hadn't. He being the person who had been with her in the last moments of her short life.

"No." Kendall mumbled, his eyes slipping shut. "It's Lizzie. She doesn't like being called Elizabeth."

He wasn't entirely sure why he said it. It just seemed like the right thing to say.

The last thing that Kendall was aware of was James' voice calling his name before his world slipped to black.

**Okay, so I may have lied. I said there would be tons of interaction between the boys in this chapter but I think this chapter kind of took a life of its own. There was defiantly angst though! The main interaction will be in the next chapter. We will also see Logan and Carlos again. Okay, well hopefully you all liked this. Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait guys. Lovely response for the last chapter, I really love you guys! Okay this is the next chapter. Enjoy. Oh and sorry if the updates are a little bit spaced out. I've got a few meetings for college. But, as long as my results come back alright I should be all set for college! Ok back to the story. Review? **

**Warnings: Gore, light swearing**

The test in the room next to the carnage had ended.

All that the majority of the students in that room could remember was a huge bang, and a ton of smoke bursting through the door, like a landslide or an explosion. The light that hung from the ceiling swung viciously from side to side in the harsh gust of wind, so that the light illuminated the dirt and dust that had flooded the room and covered the startled students. The light flickered once, twice and then went out, plunging the room into darkness. A few of the students coughed and choked as the small particles began to crawl into their lungs. Some of them even fell to their knees in surprise to the sudden nature of the dust cloud.

The students closest to the door were blown backwards to the floor, and though unhurt, were looking around themselves with confused expressions on their faces. The students closest to the windows simply watched the dust blow into the room wide eyed and with a bewildered look on their faces. The dust in the room was thick but, after a few moments, it had spread out enough for people to see through it. Pens clattered to the floor, and test papers were flung aside as students ran to the other side of the room, to get as far away from the door as possible.

The first bang was followed by a sequence of more thuds and some odd crunching noises. If the students had been closer to the door they'd have been able to see the ceiling of the school collapse inwards. They would have seen the heavy beams of wood fall to the ground as the plaster shattered. They would have heard the sickening sound of the wood scraping against the walls, as splitters seemed to be torn away from the beams. Some of the splinters were as long as a person's hand, but others seemed nearly as long as a person's whole arm. The edges of them snapped and broke, but they remained as deadly as ever.

A few of the students started to scream, suspecting an earthquake or something close to that magnitude of danger. That coupled with the sounds of coughing and spluttering coming from the people still affected by the dust created a loud noise that made the students ears ring. Carlos placed his hands over his ears to block out all the mayhem around him and Logan had to dive to the side to avoid being trampled by panicking students.

"Everyone calm down! Calm down!" Mr Hackworth yelled, his voice loud and clear, despite the hand he'd placed in front of his mouth. His glasses were tilted so that one side was just in front of his cheekbone and the other was barley balanced in front of his eye. It was something that the students would have found comical, if it had been bright enough in the room to see and if it was in another circumstance.

"Is everyone okay? Was anyone hurt?" He asked, forcing his way towards the cowering students.

All he received in response was a few nods and a few blank stares. Logan found Carlos' hand and gripped it tight. Logan was shaking for fear, and found that he couldn't stop. Carlos, however, was stood statue still, frozen on the spot. His eyes were wide and fixed on the door, beyond which the ceiling had collapsed. His hand in Logan's was completely frozen in Logan's tight grip. Logan let out a tiny cough as the dust invaded his lungs, but it was lost in the heavy coughing all around him. Already the student's minds were creating different images. Images of what could have possibly caused such a loud noise and dust cloud. A bomb was high in everyone's list…

For a while they weren't sure what they should do…. They just stood there breathing heavily as the sheet of dirt settled around their still bodies.

"James, Kendall…" Carlos whispered, breaking out of his stationary state. "They're still out there, aren't they?"

Logan simply squeezed Carlos' hand in response, trying to give silent support to his friend. Inside however, he was as worried as Carlos. What had happened? Was it something to do with his friends? Had they somehow become involved in something? Were they okay? Were they even still at school?

Mr Hackworth tentatively took a step towards the door, peering outside into the scene of the tragedy. When he leant into the corridor he could barely see anything. The dirt in the air fell around him, clinging to his clothes and hair. As he stepped even further towards the carnage he started to shake in sudden cold. The cold he felt wasn't like the cold you feel when you step outside. That cold is carried by an even harsher breeze. However, inside the corridor there was no breeze. Instead the cold was softly carried by the air, it stayed in one place for a little while but then spread out down the corridor as if it was trying to consume the entire school in its tight grip. It was slowly creeping its way into every small crack and every gap in the wall. Not unlike the students the cold was also trapped. But unlike the students, this did not displease it. The cold could feed off the snow that had fallen from the ceiling and within it, it could thrive…

Mr Hackworth's eyes took a while to adjust to the dim light in the corridor, but when he managed to see he gasped in a combination of shock and horror. He stepped backwards towards the door and took a deep breath, resting his hand against his chest as if he was in middle of a heart attack. It was as if all of the dread he had felt when he heard the sequence of thuds had just been confirmed. Within the corridor he could make out nothing but wooden beams, shattered plaster and if he looked closely he was sure he could even see a small trace of blood beneath one of the beams. Panting harshly, Mr Hackworth stepped back into the classroom, a look of fear in his eyes and his mouth gawping like a goldfish. He couldn't think of anything to say… Nothing that would reassure his students would come to mind. The middle-aged teacher was covered from head to foot in dust that made his body look almost grey, but no one laughed. The clear look of terror in his eyes gave nothing for the students to laugh about.

"What- What's happened?" A short, blond girl from the back asked, clasping her boyfriend's hand tightly in hers. As if one raindrop that would begin a storm, the moment her questions rang out it was followed by what seemed like a thousand other voices, each voicing their own concerns. Their efforts were futile as their questions were drowned out by the sea of quivering voices, but for some reason it made them feel slightly better just to talk. It made them feel slightly more in control of a situation they had little control over. Mr Hackworth suddenly found his voice and he spoke in much the tone you'd expect of a school teacher, loud and with an authority that brought the volume in the room down to quiet whispers.

"Well Sarah I think- I think a section of the roof of the building has collapsed…"

Immediately, the chatter broke out again, this time even more anxious than before. Everyone's thoughts about bombs immediately evaporated but were replaced with much more ominous thoughts. Because the belief that the dust had been caused by a bomb had been just that…

A belief.

Now they were being told by a teacher that something bad had happened, a teacher who would not lie to them. At least not about something as serious as that. Perhaps he would lie to them to reassure them that they would pass an exam when he was sure they wouldn't, perhaps he would lie to them to get them to listen more in class but he'd never lie about anything like that. It was something he just wouldn't be able to fake. He was a history teacher...He was no drama teacher. Perhaps if he'd just turned round to them and said calmly that the roof had collapsed they wouldn't have panicked. But the ominous thuds and the fact that one of the most expressionless teachers was standing by the doorway shaken to the core, meant they suspected something bad very bad.

A few of the boys jumped into action, racing towards the door and barging past Mr Hackworth. He simply stepped aside and let them past, sighing wearily and running a hand through his greying hair. The first lot was followed by the rest. Logan had to physically pull Carlos to the door to get him away from the wall.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked worriedly, gazing at his friend through chocolate brown eyes, swimming with concern.

"Erm… Sort of. Err- Not really." Carlos said, honesty showing in his face. Logan moved his hand from Carlos' to put his arm around his slightly shorter friends shoulder, drawing him into a one armed hug.

Sometimes Logan looked at Carlos and wondered how he could be so open with his feelings. Carlos wore his heart on his sleeve for all to see and wasn't at all worried. Sometimes that was why he was teased so openly by other students. The bullies of the school saw him as nothing more than a boy who acted way too young for his age. Also, because Carlos was a Latino the bullies would often create this into another reason why he should be bullied. Carlos didn't really like confrontation. If it came to a hockey game, he'd be up and fighting straight away, but when it came to an actual school fight, he was more likely to freeze up. Logan had lost count of how many times James and Kendall had has to step in when Carlos was being beaten up and Logan would take Carlos back to his house to mop up his blood and tears because Carlos didn't want his parents to worry about him. Also, being beaten up was something that Carlos didn't want his father, the police officer to see.

He just didn't want to appear weak.

Stood in the corridor with his best friend holding onto him, because truthfully Logan was afraid that if he lost all bodily contact with Carlos he'd disappear, Carlos had never felt weaker.

But when everyone else saw the carnage outside of their classroom, they too felt very weak…

xxx

Kendall's mind swam back into consciousness with all the grace of an truck.

"James?" Kendall asked, but his mind was still fuzzy from his sleep. He looked up and was suddenly aware that he was lay on his friends legs. His leg still ached but he was suddenly aware that there was a weight that was missing from it. The huge piece of wood was missing from where it had been, and he was sure that he had been moved. When he received no response Kendall looked up, blinking dirt away from his eyes. Above him James was sat, leaning against a wall heavily. His eyes were closed in sleep and his expression seemed to be one of peace.

Kendall was reminded of all of the times the boys would sleep over at his house, and whenever James was asleep he would have that same expression of calm. Like him James didn't sleep easily, so when he did fall asleep he got his much needed rest. Kendall hated to wake James up but he'd seen something that concerned him greatly. At James' temple he saw something that he hadn't noticed before. There was a light scrape there. Only a little bit of blood formed from the cut and it wasn't large, but it mirrored something he had seen before… Something that upset him.

Lizzie.

"James! Shit! Open your eyes!" Kendall cried out, hissing as the pain in his leg flared. He shook his friends arm with his free hand, trying to rouse him. James moaned slightly and shifted, his eyes blinking open slowly. Kendall let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't do that buddy, you scared me…"

"Me?" James whispered, rubbing his eyes tiredly and letting out a yawn. "You're the one who's been unconscious ever since I freed your leg and moved you. Speaking of your leg how is it?"

Kendall looked down and winced as he saw the mess his leg was in. James had clearly wrapped his jacket around the cut hiding most of it from view, but Kendall could still clearly see the way that the blood pooled out, and traces of it had clotted at the surface. Some of the parts that had clotted were almost black and they clung to the skin around the cut that was an odd pale. He couldn't see any bone, and he didn't think it was that bad, but it would definitely bring a lot of pain and leave an ugly scar. Kendall was no stranger to leg injuries and he'd seen far worse in his time.

"Well let's put it this way. I won't be able to play hockey for a while. Why'd you move me?"

James smiled slightly, rubbing Kendall's shoulder lightly.

"There were some wooden beams above you that were ready to fall. I guess you didn't see them. Still…I wish I could get you something for the pain buddy."

"How's your head?" Kendall asked changing the subject, partially to take his mind off the pain that was pulsing through his leg, but mostly because he was concerned about his friends well-being.

"It's fine…" James said quickly. "It isn't bad. It isn't like…" James trailed away, his voice fading slightly into only an echo in the dark corridor. A name remained unspoken between them and Kendall immediately felt his eyes well up again.

"So, she's really dead then?" He said slowly, his voice soft.

"Yeah, she is," James said bluntly, but his face betrayed his emotion. His bottom lip quivered slightly and his face had paled.

"How many?" Kendall asked, steeling himself for the answer.

"What?" James asked, his eyes widening.

"You heard me. Don't act dumb!" Kendall all but yelled. James winced at the harsh tone in Kendall's voice. He knew that Kendall was upset, but hearing that tone was something he would never have expected to hear from Kendall. Kendall rarely ever raised his voice to them, but when he did it was almost always when they were doing something stupid. It was never trivial.

"Sorry…" Kendall whispered. "Just tell me… Please?"

James paused for a couple of seconds and took a deep breath before replying.

"I'm not sure. But Kendall, it's bad. There was a load of people with me running towards the other classrooms. I ran back to get you. I've seen like…" He took a deep intake of breath again, but this time a few tears slipped down his cheeks. Kendall reached up to wipe the tears away from James' face. It was clear to him that whatever James wanted to say really upset him.

"Since Lizzie," Both Kendall and James openly winced at the mentioning of her name. It was as if her name had become sacred, something that just shouldn't be said in their presence. "I've seen four bodies…"

Kendall's eyed widened in pure dismay. A mixture of shock, disbelief and pain spread across his face.

"Who?" He asked fearing the answer. He hated to think it, but he was really hoping that it wasn't Carlos or Logan. If he heard their names on James' list, he might as well just die right there and then. James choked on a sob but looked down at Kendall with a firm gaze regardless.

"Alisha Moore, Alice Greenwood, Michael Lucas and Jessica Heart. Michael and Jessica were… holding hands when I found them." James' shoulders slumped, and he began to cry as he became lost in the memories of people who he had only vaguely known staring back at him with eyes that were cold and lifeless. He'd only just seen Alice that morning, she was being congratulated for being such a good student. All that studying hadn't done her any good in the end James thought bitterly.

Kendall shifted himself slightly to put his hand on James' shoulder, but quickly stopped moving when James cried out in pain.

"Jamie?" Kendall questioned, concern shining in his tone. "It's fine Kenny," James winced. "Some wood hit my ribs on the way down. But they're fine." James spoke quickly. Too quickly for Kendall's liking.

He was about to question James further, but a sharp cracking noise startled them. The wind whipped in a fury above the collapsed wooden beams, pummelling what was left of the ceiling further. A corner of the white plaster above James and Kendall began to crack, spreading a fine white powder as it spread.

"We should move." Kendall noted quickly. James nodded and shifted Kendall so that they were both in a kneeling position. "Just lean on me Kendall. We'll be fine, you'll see." Kendall looked at him doubtfully, but he pulled himself upright, leaning his weight on James so that he didn't have to put any of it on his injured leg. He knew that he was probably hurting James. After all, despite James not wanting to admit it, Kendall could see that he was injured as well. He couldn't help it though…

What Kendall and James couldn't see, however, was the invisible timer that had formed above their heads. The timer that was counting down to the next, equally destructive collapse.

**Okay so, sorry about the long wait again. Not entirely sure about this chapter guys. The amount of times I've gone back to this and re-written it… (That's one of the reasons this chapter took so long.) Anyway please review! Review's really do help me update faster! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys, loved the response to the last chapter! Just so you know the next updates could be very spaced out. I'm gonna be away from the 15****th**** for two weeks with very little access to a computer. So, sorry about that guys :( Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Review? **

When running away from a crocodile you are advised to flee very quickly, and run in zigzags to find the nearest safe place. The reason why you should run in zigzags is because a crocodiles find it hard to turn on land. The creature has weaknesses that you can use to help you survive. When facing a wolf you are advised to back away slowly towards firm ground, and when attacked charge one member of the pack, shouting and throwing rocks and sticks. All wild animals have a weakness. If you're smart and experienced enough with these animals, there's a chance that you would be able to survive if they set their sights on you.

Fighting something that is not alive however, is an entirely different game. Occasionally disasters happen that come with no warning. Things like sudden blizzards do not have personalities. They do not feel regret and they do not have any mercy. They just exist. People could blame them for death and destruction all they want, but they'd just keep coming back regardless. Disasters leave no letter at your front door to give you a warning, they do not cry when you die and there is nothing you can do to stop them. Unlike with an animal they have no underlined weakness. When it's said you just have to move away as fast as you can before the countdown runs out, they mean it literally.

So Kendall and James knew they had to move.

They were not able to see the countdown above their heads, but they could feel it there. It was as if something was watching them as they ran. It was as if its eyes were drilling into their back, filling them with a sense of foreboding and convincing them to try and move faster. James had to be extremely mindful of Kendall's hurt leg as he ran, because he could only imaging how much pain it would bring Kendall if he was to catch it with his leg. Even the smallest of nudges might cause it to bleed a little bit more. James could already see the paling of Kendall's skin and he could only guess that that was due to the previous blood loss. It worried him considerably.

"You still with me Kendall?" James asked, shaking Kendall's shoulder slightly in order to provoke a response from the teen. Kendall's eyes blinked wider open and he fixed James with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, still here…" Kendall mumbled, trying to keep his footing and biting his lip through the pain.

James smiled back, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He'd never tell Kendall but the pain across his ribs and chest had increased to a sharp shooting pain, as if someone was drilling nails into him as he moved. Every step felt as though they were dragging tons of weight behind them, and it was becoming harder to carry on moving.

Stumbling over a particularly high pile of ceiling, Kendall flinched as his leg made contact with the corner of a piece of wood. At first it didn't hurt for a couple of seconds, but then it was as if all of the muscles in his lower leg exploded. He let out a sharp cry of agony as his hand slipped from around James' shoulder. He tried to regain his footing for a couple of seconds but failed as he tripped yet again, this time falling down to his hands and knees. The debris tore at his hands ripping large gashes through the pale skin. Blood covered the wood, soaking through from Kendall's injured leg and from his hands. James stopped walking quickly when he felt Kendall lose his balance and he turned around quickly.

"Kendall…" James whispered in shock, beginning to climb back down from the pile of ceiling. "Hang in there buddy!"

He staggered across the debris trying to reach his fallen friend, his brown hair flicking in front of his eyes. That happening in any other situation would have driven him crazy, but in this situation it was the least of his worries. His best friend was lying in a growing pool of blood and he had no idea if his other two best friends were still alive. As he moved however the pain in his ribs flared. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, but soon James too found himself falling to the ground on his hands and knees next to Kendall.

This time however, James wasn't sure if the feeling of needles digging into his skin was metaphorical or really the sharp splinters of wood digging into his skin. The snow on the ground numbed the pain slightly, but the sudden cold made him shiver.

"James?" Kendall questioned, his own eyes clouded with a mixture of distress and concern. James could only smile back slightly, biting his tongue so hard that he was sure that he was going to make it bleed. James couldn't help but feel extremely honoured that despite his own pain Kendall was clearly still concerned about James' well-being. That was why James was certain that he had the best friends ever. ..

"It'll be fine buddy… It's just a wave of pain, that's all. It should be over soon, and then we can move."

Kendall looked at him doubtfully, but screamed out again as he tried to move him leg.

"No! Stay still Kendall. People are gonna try to find us, we just need to stay here for a little while," James yelled, flinching slightly as his panicked voice echoed through the eerily still corridor.

However, just as the echo died down, a huge rumbling sound came from the still intact ceiling around them. James and Kendall's eyes widened and they stared at the ceiling in complete fear. Kendall reached out to take James' hand, hating how their position seemed to mirror the one when he was with Lizzie. He felt James lightly squeeze his hand and he felt slightly better, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were going to see Lizzie again soon… A portion of the ceiling had collapsed once before, and the wreckage was all around them… Who could say that it wouldn't happen again?

As if to confirm the boys' worst fears, a tiny crack seemed to form on the plaster. Their eyes fixed directly on the crack, they watched as the plaster began to fall away in little white droplets of light, and the crack grew larger. Paralysed with fear the boys simply lay there in terror. They didn't hear the countdown reach zero but they heard the scream the wood let out before it collapsed completely inwards once again.

As if in a disaster movie, time seemed to slow and everything became just a sequence of motions.

James hurled himself towards Kendall, ignorant of the pain in his ribs and chest. He forced himself above his friend, attempting to shield his body with his own.

"James, no!" Kendall screamed trying to force himself out from under the heavier boy, but it was too late. A wooden beam hit them with striking force and Kendall felt James' body land on his own, completely still. Kendall cried out in agony as he felt himself forced down on the wooden splinters and deeper into the biting cold beneath him. The thuds and crunches of fallen ceiling increased all around them until the corridor was yet again covered in more debris. The wooden beam itself, pinning James and Kendall down was about the size of the one that had been pining Kendall's leg before, but on their bodies Kendall could feel just how heavy that was. Lost in his own agony for a moment, Kendall gazed at James in shock, his body trembling.

James' head was now on Kendall's shoulder so Kendall couldn't see his face. However, Kendall was certain the James was unconscious because of how still his friend had become.

"James…" Kendall breathed, pushing at his friend to try and get him to wake up. James remained unresponsive… Kendall was beginning to panic even more. He thumped his fist on James' chest in desperation to try and bring James round, but his efforts were futile.

"James!" Kendall yelled, crying now. He had no idea how hurt his friend was. The wooden beam wasn't too large, but it could easily have broken James' back… Or his neck.

"James buddy please wake up! You have to be okay!" Kendall shouted bringing his hands up to James' neck to check his pulse. It took a while for him to be able to tell due to how cold his hands were, but Kendall could feel a weak but steady pulse beneath his fingers. Kendall let out a sigh of relief, but knew that he couldn't relax, not when James desperately needed his help.

"Logan! Carlos! Anyone, help us, please!" Kendall yelled, coughing slightly as dust filled his lungs.

The wind far above them was the only thing that answered…

xxx

"Logan… I'm scared," Carlos whispered.

"I know Carlos. I am too," Logan replied resting his head back on the wall behind him.

"Logan?" Carlos asked, turning his head to gaze at Logan with tear filled eyes that filled even Logan with fear. The boys rarely saw Carlos upset, but when they did it was always because something terrible had happened. Sometimes the boys would say that Carlos had a sort of sixth sense when it came to the other boys getting hurt, like a little dog who would run to find help if it's owner had a heart attack. Carlos enjoyed having fun, but he could never fake it when he was afraid.

"Yeah Carlos," Logan answered softly.

"Do you think James and Kendall are scared too?" Carlos asked, his brown eyes wide with fear. The question made Logan's heart lurch but he force himself to squeeze Carlos' hand regardless.

"Carlos we don't even know if they're still here… They might be home already," Logan said. But even as he said it he doubted his words. Looking around him at the crowded classroom, filled with students chattering loudly and some of them crying, he could see some students that he recognised from James and Kendall's history class. If he was honest they looked the worst off… They were covered with dust and some of them had cuts and scratches across their body. Normally Logan would have slotted into doctor mode immediately, but he still couldn't stop shaking…

"I- I think they're still here," Carlos said, the honest certainty in his voice making Logan's heart sink. Pulling Carlos down so that his head rested on Logan's shoulder, Logan gave his friends a one armed hug, running his fingers through Carlos' messed up hair.

Logan took that moment to look around the classroom. The test papers from before were now lying on the floor, thrown aside and forgotten. Some of the boys were obviously trying to act tough. From where Logan was sat he could see Kyle Jameson stood at the front of the classroom with two girls next to him, while he was clowning around to try and get them to laugh. Logan smiled slightly. Finally it felt as though the class were in need of a class clown, someone to try and preoccupy them from the vision of horror that was outside. Since they had left the classroom the first time they had heard another sequence of thuds. It was terrifying for them to know that the noises seemed to be moving closer. This time, even though there was no dust cloud, the thuds echoed closer to them.

Earlier before the second sequence of what they guessed to be another collapse, Mr Hackworth and a few other students had set outside to find the way out, thinking the worst of it to be over.

It panicked the boys to think that since then they hadn't returned…

Occasionally, someone would tumble into the classroom, each of them looking terrified. Logan however couldn't help but notice Jennifer Class sat in the corner of the room. She wasn't moving and she wasn't speaking. Logan didn't really know Jennifer because she wasn't in his class. He'd considered the fact that she could be in shock, but her body language didn't suggest that. She looked unhappy and numb, but the look of fear didn't reach her eyes. Ultimately Jennifer seemed to have blended in all through her years at the school, but now, as the only one who was calm, she couldn't have stood out more…

"Logan! Carlos! Anyone, help us, please!" The voice seemed incredibly distant and muffled, but to Carlos and Logan it stood out like an explosion. Everyone else seemed to carry on speaking, not hearing the distant voice, but Logan and Carlos stood quickly. Despite strange looks from a few of the other students Carlos and Logan took off, running into the corridor. No one stopped them.

"Logan? I heard…" Carlos began unnecessarily.

"I know. I heard them too," Logan said, skidding to a halt outside the door.

What they saw made their hearts stop. Lay unmoving beneath a beam of wood was James and beneath him lying in his own blood was Kendall.

The four were finally reunited… But it wasn't at all how they wanted it to be.

**Okay I hate cliff-hangers, so apologies for that one… Thank you for reading! Love you all! Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: So so sorry for the long wait, but I've done everything apart from my Voluntary work now, so I'll be at home and able to write fanfiction. Yay! Thank you for the response to the last chapter. You're all so kind!** **Oh and a quick warning about this chapter. I'm actually not sure if this will be any good. Out of experience I seem to be better at the description side rather than the action side. This chapter will be full of action concerning the four boys and two other characters. It's also quite gory as well. Okay so please enjoy and please review!**

**Warnings: Quite a lot of swearing and gore.**

It was as if a sudden stillness had consumed the corridor. The four boys seemed to be locked in a kind of trance. Even their breathing seemed quieter than before… If it wasn't for the clouds that floated from their lips as they exhaled, anyone looking in would have thought that they were statues, or that the freezing cold atmosphere around them had frozen them solid. A harsh feeling had settled around Logan's heart the moment that his eyes settled on his best friends. It was as if there was a hand inside his chest gripping at his heart tightly, squeezing relentlessly at the rapidly beating organ. It was as if the oxygen that Logan needed to breathe was now spreading apart, abandoning him, serving him to panic. Immediately his brain switched into doctor mode, accessing the immediate danger. He judged the size of the beam of wood… It was quite small but the position it had landed on the boys was awkward. Logan could see dagger-like splinters of wood digging into James' bare skin where his t-shirt had risen up. Thin chains of ruby cascaded down James' too pale skin, gathering around Kendall's body.

Kendall himself seemed rooted to the spot, both physically and mentally. He looked on the verge of crying, but his eyes were wide and afraid. He was caught in a mixture of shock and despair. He was breathing heavily as if most of his energy had been spent on yelling for help, and his eyes appeared glazed and unfocused. His hands were grasping James' shirt so tight that his knuckles were shining white against the surface of his skin.

"Kendall!" Logan yelled, shattering the dream like state that had settled around them.

Logan raced towards his best friends, while Carlos simply stood still, unable to move or think. He couldn't make sense of how fast things were moving around him. That morning they were just innocent teenage boys hoping for a snow day so that they wouldn't need to go to school. A snow day wasn't supposed to hurt anybody. Who had suddenly changed the rules? Why hadn't he been warned? Carlos gathered the material of his t-shirt in his hands and gripped it so tightly that he was amazed that the material didn't tear away in his hands. Having something to hold onto made him feel rooted and in a little more control. But in no way did it make him feel secure. He doubted that he'd ever feel completely secure again…

Logan fell to his knees, James' blood darkening the denim of his jeans. He reached forward with a shaking hand testing James' pulse lightly beneath his fingers, needing to see for himself that James was still with them. While he was so still it was nearly impossible for Logan to believe that he could possibly be still alive. A small, flickering pulse danced at his fingertips and he sighed in relief. Moving his hands down further Logan felt James' neck gently. It wasn't broken. Tapping at James' face lightly, Logan prayed for a response. Any response…

None was given.

"James, James, wake up buddy…" Logan begged his heart racing. "Please wake up."

"Logan…" Kendall whispered his eyelids flickering. His eyes were clouded over with pain and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. Logan could tell immediately that it was a result of the blood loss.

"Kendall! Stay awake. I'm gonna get you and James out of this. Just stay awake for me!"

Logan moved his hands so that they gripped the wooden beam pinning James and Kendall down. The splinters dug into his hands but he clenched his teeth and tried to ignore the pain as best as he could. He couldn't help but let out a small grunt however, as a particularly large splinter dug into his hands. Logan's knees shook with the effort of holding the wood up and he quickly realised that he would have to put the wood down again to avoid collapsing and dropping it on his best friends. He placed the wood gently down again and his muscles immediately relaxed.

"Carlos! Come help me!" Logan cried out desperately. He turned to Carlos quickly, his brown eyes thrown open wide in pure fear. Their eyes locked for a second, but Carlos simply stared back, his thoughts in turmoil. He couldn't hear what Logan was saying. His thoughts were buzzing around so loud in his ears that it was as if a swarm of bees were preparing to attack him. The wind above the boys roared relentlessly, drowning out any rational thoughts that the boys had.

Behind Logan, Kendall's eyes were drifting shut yet again. The blood from his leg was still spreading; mixing with James' blood and making the pool seem impossibly large. He lifted his head slightly to see his leg and immediately wished that he hadn't. His vision swan, but even through the haze of colour he could see how deep the gash had become since the impact. James' body had protected most of it, but the impact with James' knee had made the threads of skin split further than before. Blood that was so dark it appeared almost black covered the surface of his skin, spreading in chains like the legs of a spider. As he looked he could almost swear that he could see a white flash of something that might be his bone… But it might just be in his head.

He turned to his side to try and see Logan again, but instead he could only see a whirlpool of colour. Deep within that colour it was as if there was a small opening. As Kendall focused on it he could swear that he saw a pair of sparkling blue eyes looking back at him.

_Lizzie._

xxx

It is well documented that when humans are in positions of great stress, they make decisions based on primal instinct. Logan Mitchell was no exception. Even the best doctor in the world could fall prey to these instincts when in the position that Logan was in. His best friend had just fallen unconscious and the other was bleeding to death. When emotions are involved, mistakes can be made. But sometimes it depends on what you look at as a mistake… A machine would willingly look on as the two boys died, trying to create a logical decision. But what are humans without emotions?

"Carlos?" Logan whispered, turning his head towards his best friend one last time. "Please?"

Logan's voice was breaking and he shook with every breath he took. "Help me?"

Carlos didn't move. Logan sighed defeated and turned back towards James and Kendall. Logan wasn't dumb. He knew that Carlos was in shock… But it didn't make it any easier to deal with the situation.

James and Kendall could still die…

"No!" Logan shouted pushing out with all of his strength and all of his emotion at the wood beam. He wouldn't- No couldn't let his friends die. What kind of doctor could he possibly become if he couldn't even save his best friends? He heard a yell of protest, presumably from another student that had come in to help them, but he carried on pushing. The splinters dug further into his hands than before, until they felt mostly numb, but he just carried on pushing. A single jolt shot down his body like a string in his arms had just been tightened, and with an almost impossible strength Logan managed to shove at the wood so hard that it slammed to the dusty floor behind the other boys, with a thud so loud that Logan flinched.

He turned back towards where Carlos was stood. The smaller boy was staring at him with tears rolling down his cheeks. Another student was stood next to Carlos… A student that Logan did not recognise. The boy was stood with one arm around Carlos' shoulders to steady him, and he was looking at Logan seemingly dumbfounded.

A sickening chill settled over Logan, not entirely from the cold.

"My arms?" Logan questioned his chest tightening.

The other boy seemed to nod solemnly before Logan looked down. He hadn't noticed before, but now that he looked down at his arms he gagged. He hadn't paid attention to the way that the skin on his arms had been mangled and torn by the splinters. Oddly enough, it was that last sight of blood that finished Logan. He coughed lightly at first, but that cough was quickly followed by a series of move violent gasps. He fell to his knees, the snow soaking in through his jeans and mingling with the blood.

The future doctor vomited violently before erupting into startlingly loud sobs.

It seemed as if the whole world was falling apart around them.

Blinking rapidly to clear his thoughts Carlos forced himself to move closer to his distraught friend, his legs shaking violently with every step he took. By the time he had reached Logan he was already on his knees beside his friend, unable to stand any longer. Unsure what to do he just knelt beside his best friend wordlessly and motionless.

After all, what could he say?

What could he do?

xxx

When Miss Callie came around she was aware of two things. One being that she couldn't feel her arms or legs, and the second was that Jennifer Class was sat by her side, a grim look on her face. Through the blurred edges of her vision Miss Callie could see Jennifer was holding something in her lap and playing with it in her hands. When Jennifer shifted whatever it was, the light would catch it and it would sparkle with a sharp glow.

"Jennifer…" Miss Callie whispered her gaze unfocused. She recognised the girl but could barely see anything in the corridor. The fact it was so dark did nothing to help her already deteriorating vision.

"Yes miss?" Jennifer spoke. The words came out like a casual question, but the lack of emotion in them made it sound like Jennifer was simply replying to her name on the register. The tone sent a chill down Miss Callie's spine.

"Jennifer… I think I need help. Where is everyone?" Miss Callie asked her voice barely above a whisper. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the light headed feeling that had overcome her, but only succeeded in dying her blond hair red with the blood on the floor.

Where was the blood coming from?

She turned her head to the side once again but almost threw up at what she saw. Her mouth opened wide like a dying fish and she let out a sequence of shocked gasping noises, as if she was being choked.

Lying next to her was the dead body of Erik Marsh. He was facing her and his eyes were wide open. A small trickle of blood was falling from his lips and his skin was already beginning to take a grey colour. His mouth was parted into an almost comical expression as if he'd been caught by surprise. He had a light scattering of dust covered his body, but Miss Callie couldn't see the main injury. The injury that had resulted in the jocks death…

"He's- He's dead… He's, he's dead! He's fucking dead!" Miss Callie chanted to herself under her breath. After a while it became like a sort of sick prayer. Like perhaps if she continued to repeat the words out loud they might lose their meaning and the simple fact would somehow be reversed. But even through the panic in her mind, her logic still shone through. Things like that just didn't happen.

"Everyone's in the other classroom… I was too until a moment ago. I left when everyone started crying. It was too loud… No one noticed me." Jennifer spoke regardless, ignorant of Miss Callie's crazed mumbling and unconcerned by the dead body so close to hers. "No one ever notices me."

"J- Jennifer?" Miss Callie whispered, turning to the girl. "Go for help."

Suddenly, it was as if something inside of the girl snapped. It was as if a coil that was tight inside of her had been released by that one simple command. Her eyes visibly darkened and her ruby red lips creased into a line, expressing her anger. Raising herself to her height, she towered above the helpless Miss Callie, who was lying on her back with a huge piece of wall completely covering most of her body.

"No! You don't get to call the shots here! I'm in charge… You will notice me," with that Jennifer drew back her hand and slapped Miss Callie hard across her cheek, her nails tearing at the skin. "No one ever notices me. Am I really that fucking insignificant? Even now everyone just over looks me. No one asked if I was injured, no one cared. If I'd died no one would have cared. Not even my own parents care about me! I'm ignored, I'm always ignored. "

Without even thinking Jennifer's hands were around her teacher's throat and she was squeezing viciously.

"_Why can't you just listen to me Jennifer? Why are you such a screw up?"_

The harsh words from her father's cigarette stained smile plagued the girls mind.

"_Jennifer, if you upset your father once more I'm going to personally kick you out of this house and onto the street. You're sixteen! By now you can find your own way in life. By your age I had a job and I was pregnant with you. But of course because of you I lost that job. And now are you seriously trying to mess up my life even more? You selfish brat!"_

Her mother's alcohol drenched words proved just as painful.

"_That's Jennifer. She never speaks. I think she's got problems…" _

"_You mean like an illness?" _

"_No I mean like… Mental problems." _

Misinformed voiced from her past school echoed in her ears, covering her thoughts in a mist of anger and frustration, built up over sixteen years.

"_Don't get too close to Jennifer, she'll probably attack you."_

"_Do you think she's a drug addict? Or she could be a dealer! Maybe that's why she's so quiet."_

"_I saw a knife in Jennifer's locker… Maybe she murdered someone?" _

"_She's just another emo freak! That's why she wears jumpers all the time! I saw her wrists in the changing rooms. They were all slashed and shit." _

He hands closed even tighter around her teacher's throat, hoping to silence the pained gasps that were beginning to hurt her ears. And the voices in her own head... Tears of desperation rolled down Miss Callie's face and she mouthed something that looked to Jennifer like "God help me."

"He's not here." Jennifer said bluntly, her eyes hardening.

The final thought that crossed Miss Callie's mind was a name that she never thought she'd think of again. Fleetingly through all of the memories of her family she focused on a name. The name of someone she desperately wanted at her side…

"_Owen my love. I'm sorry… I know I wasn't enough for you. Goodbye." _

And with that final thought, Miss Callie died.

As soon as Miss Callie's body grew still, Jennifer drew back sharply as if she'd been shocked or burned. She was still holding the knife that she'd been playing with earlier and that she'd used to scratch at Miss Callie's skin before the collapse happened. The young teacher really shouldn't have given her detention...

"I- I only wanted to hurt you a little. This shouldn't have happened…" Jennifer whispered backing away. "But you'll remember that this wasn't my fault right? If you make it up to heaven, you'll save a place for me won't you?"

"This is all because they didn't notice me. If they'd have stopped me from leaving the room earlier this would never have happened. It's their fault, not mine. And I'll get revenge! I'll make sure they pay for what they did to you miss, and to me." Jennifer slowly backed away into the darkness of the corridor until her face was concealed from view.

"It's not my fault…" Jennifer whispered yet again, and she kept of repeating that phrase.

Because Jennifer knew that maybe if she kept on repeating it to herself again and again… She might even be able to convince herself that it was the truth.

**Okay writing Jennifer just creeped me out. Hope you guys… erm liked that. To be honest I'm not entirely happy with it myself but it's the best I feel I'm able to do. Please review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: I'm sorry for the long wait. Hope you guys like this chapter though. This is just kinda to bring the whole Lizzie and Kendall thing to an end. I feel like I left a few lose ends so I've decided to solve them here! Hope you like it! **

The snow fell steadily and softly. A breath of wind blew softly across the landscape, scattering the ice, like dust through the air. A small golden beam of light was pouring through the clouds, illuminating the glittering snow with pinpricks of light. A light whistling sound, almost like a song, echoed delicately through the landscape as Jack Frost seemed to dance around, stroking at the girls pale skin with fragile ease and the upmost care. To Kendall the whole landscape seemed so familiar but yet so alien….

"Lizzie?" Kendall questioned, drawing closer to the girl with the pale skin. He moved, but every time his did it felt as though he was wading through water. His shoes were feeling gradually heavier until he felt as though he was dragging lead. Kendall paused, confused. Looking at the spectacular wonderland around him he'd never felt more at home… But something was missing. Something wasn't right. Even though he could feel, see and hear he felt slightly disconnected. As if he was somewhere he really shouldn't be.

"Yes Kendall," the girl spoke, her voice even softer than it had been in life. It had an almost surreal quality. Almost like Lizzie was singing the words rather than speaking them. Lizzie knelt down in the powdery white snow and traced a small pattern with her fingertips, not even flinching as the frozen surface touched her bare skin. Kendall knelt down and tried to mimic the action, but visibly winced when the icy cold tore at his skin and a sharp pain spread up his arm. Pulling back away from the seemingly harmless snow the pain immediately ceased.

"It's still painful for you, isn't it?" Lizzie asked, her blond hair blowing out around her in a light breeze. Her voice was soft and caring but the tone when she spoke seemed oddly playful and immature. It held a childish and happy tone to it.

"Yeah…" Kendall whispered looking down at his hand in surprise. This only seemed to make Lizzie's smile widen, showing off her pearly white teeth. Suddenly Kendall's eyes widened in surprise as he realised something he probably should have realised sooner. It was as if the drowsy and calming atmosphere had managed to slow down his thoughts so that they appeared in gradual, lazy bursts.

"Lizzie, you're not injured any more!" He gazed at the point on her forehead where there had once been a huge red gash, but now he could only see clear and unblemished skin. If possible this statement only made Lizzie's smile widen even more until it appeared barley possible for someone to be so happy. In reflection of the falling snow her eyes sparkled. "I know."

Suddenly a dread filled Kendall.

"Am… Am I dead?"

Lizzie's eyes softened and her smile weakened slightly. Kendall sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, taking Lizzie's silence as a yes. In his head he recognised that he felt a peace, but in his heart he felt horrible. He could only imagine how his death would have affected his best friends… No his brothers. Were they all right? Were they safe? Or would he be seeing them again soon? His mind raced so fast that his thoughts spiralled into an endless torrent of spinning emotions and fears mixed into one moment.

He watched as the snow twisted and turned in the breeze, light and beautiful. It looked so innocent and kind that Kendall grew slightly confused. How could something so sweet and fun still hurt so much when it touched his skin? Now that he thought about it he realised that he wasn't in quite as much peace as he thought he was. He hadn't noticed before but his entire body was beginning to ache, his leg especially. It almost felt like the pain on his leg was still there, like there was an echo of the rock that had pinned him down to the frozen ground still digging harshly into his skin. A single word broke Kendall out of his thoughts in the same way that a string, when pulled too tight, would snap.

"No."

Kendall's head snapped up at that single word, hope rising behind his eyes. Lizzie was still smiling sadly at him.

"Oh…" Kendall said, lost for words and tapping his foot nervously hoping to ease the pain that was now searing through him. "I guess… That's good?"

At that reaction Lizzie audibly chuckled, her laughter soft.

"Why so unsure?"

Kendall too smiled, despite his discomfort.

"I guess I just want it all to be over, but I don't want to leave them either. It just feels odd. I haven't felt so much pain for a long time. If ever before… Everyone's dying around me. I couldn't bear to watch them die too, and… and…" Kendall's voice trailed off as a particularly large gust of wind blew through his dream like state and he shivered.

"Go on," Lizzie urged, seemingly unaffected by the sudden shift in weather.

"I'm sorry. You don't even know who I'm talking about, do you?"

"It's not that hard to work out Kendall," Lizzie grinned. Kendall looked back up to her, confusion written across his pain filled expression. "You mean Logan, James and Carlos don't you? It's not that hard to work out you know. You four are always inseparable. "

Kendall smiled as he thought of his friends.

"I don't want to leave my mum or my little sister either. Mum's always been so protective over us. It would kill her to lose one of us, and I couldn't hurt her like that. I couldn't cope if she was unhappy… And Katie's only young. I'm supposed to protect her. I'm supposed to fret about her while she goes off on her own. I'm supposed to stay up at night until she comes home after a sleepover, and I'm supposed to freak out when she gets her first serious boyfriend…"

"Isn't that just you being a little over protective?" Lizzie smiled.

"No… Well okay, I guess I've always been a bit like that. But she's my little sister! My family is the most important thing in the world to me, and that includes James, Carlos and Logan! We may not be related by blood, but-"

"You're still brothers." Lizzie finished for him as if she was reading his thoughts.

"Yeah," Kendall sighed.

Lizzie swayed slightly moving backwards towards a tree that Kendall hadn't noticed before. Leaning against it Lizzie arched her back slightly so that she was comfortably leant against it with her entire body weight. Her eyes were drooping slightly and her eyelashes flickered softly against her cheekbones, tiny icicles caught on the ends. She looked tired… But Kendall noticed that it wasn't the kind of tired that she looked when she was dying. No, Lizzie looked content. It was almost as if she was simply resting, about to go to sleep in her own house after a long day.

"There's still hope Kendall. Don't forget you and your friends may survive. You could still recover. You just have to fight."

Kendall chuckled darkly, a sarcastic tone to his voice when he spoke. His anger came on suddenly and even in his own mind it appeared unjustified. "It's not like it's a game Lizzie… It's not like this is a dream that we're all just gonna wake up from. How do I know you're not a dream? How do I know that this isn't just a figment of my imagination? You're dead! And I don't believe in ghosts!" Kendall spoke, his voice as sharp as a knife.

Immediately he felt horribly guilty. He almost expected her to flinch but Lizzie's expression remained completely neutral.

"Does it really matter if I am?"

That simple sentence stopped Kendall in his tracks. His anger ceased immediately and he looked back up at Lizzie who now had her eyes firmly shut and her words were delicate and fading, almost drowned out by the whistling of the wind. "What's the harm in dreams?"

Kendall sniffed and his eyes filled with tears that he had to blink back. At that moment he realised just how dream-like the world around him was. It even felt as if the tears in his eyes were somewhat artificial.

"You know the snow isn't quite as threatening now is it? I love it... But now I have to leave. I can't stay here forever, I have to move on. It's kind of beautiful." Lizzie said opening her glistening eyes wide for the last time, before letting them drift shut again. "Just like you."

Kendall chuckled, unsure of what to say. In his head he wanted to say 'you too' but the words just wouldn't form.

Instead he just settled for a small and simple, "Goodbye Lizzie." Because this time Kendall was certain, ghost or dream. This was the last time he'd see Lizzie. At least for a while.

"Oh and Kendall," at the sound of her voice Kendall looked in her direction again, blinking in surprise, as Lizzie appeared to be fading away before his eyes, and the pain in his body intensified. "I don't expect to see you for a while… But when I do, please don't drag any snow in with you when you open the door." If Lizzie's eyes had been open Kendall figured that she would have winked, because the playful tone was back in her voice. "I think we'll both have had enough of snow by then."

At that Lizzie vanished and slowly the colours of snow around Kendall began to fade too. They seemed to spiral inwards until his whole word was a mix of black and white smudges. Suddenly, Kendall was falling. He was falling back into a world of colour and life, but also a world where pain and death had become all too certain. A dull whooshing sound rattled in Kendall's ears, distorted until it sounded like a hissing rattlesnake, but Kendall didn't mind. He was going back to his best friends. Any hell was worth fighting as long as his family was all together. And in the end… That was all that mattered.

Kendall blinked open his eyes...

**Okay this was a really short chapter and I apologise for that. I wanted to get this out of the way before I move on with the story line. I apologise for leaving the cliff hanger for yet another chapter, but next chapter it will defiantly carry on. Please read and review. Your opinions mean so much to me! **


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